


this is a sure thing

by Pomfry



Series: I am the same, I'm the same (I'm trying to change) [3]
Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Consequences Of Your Actions, Everyone is mentioned, Gen, Kuro is a good older brother, Parenthood, Protective Instincts, taking care of children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 09:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14787993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pomfry/pseuds/Pomfry
Summary: There's blood on his hands, on the walls and on his face when Creator finally drops dead.





	this is a sure thing

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this at 11, woke up at about 2:30, and finished it. I am. so tired.

Kuro has blood on his arms and his breathing is ragged by the time Creator is finally dead. The entire room is bathed in red, and he’d had to tap into that well of power he always avoids, that deep, bottomless darkness in him that sets him apart from his siblings to kill him.

Creator, it seems, has been altering himself while altering them.

Kuro collapses, knees buckling beneath him as he crumbles to the ground. His hospital dress is torn and he’s already healing from the bullet wounds. He’s  _ tired,  _ more than anything, and all he wants to do is close his eyes and sleep for the next century.

“Kuro? Kuro, where are you?”

Hugh.

Kuro forces his eyes to open, makes himself stand, and stumbles over to the door, breathing ragged. Hugh is there, Tsubaki in his arms, and his eyes - a wine red, a deep red, red like everyone else’s - widen at the sight of him. “Kuro!”

Kuro holds up a hand, reaching out for Tsubaki. Hugh hands him over without a word, recognizing the way Kuro reassures himself that everyone is fine, and Kuro tucks his head into his shoulder, folding down. Tsubaki is safe, he thinks, and drags Hugh closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and he’s hugging him, simply being there. Everyone is safe, and he did the right thing, dammit. His wings curl around them, and he knows that he can fit everyone in this embrace if he wants to.

“Kuro, what did you do?” Hugh whispers, and Kuro tightens his grip. “Kuro?”

“I did the right thing,” he says, and his voice shakes. Jeje comes around the corner, Hyde not a moment behind. Freyja and World End are gripping his scarf tight, eyes wide and scared, and Lily is toddling in front of Jeje, babbling happily. Kuro’s heart aches at the sight of all of them. He did this for them, did this so they wouldn’t, couldn’t, but he already knows that it will haunt them. He already knows that he doesn’t know for certain if he did the right thing. If he had an ounce less responsibility, if his family was grown up, he would up and go. Disappear and never be found, vowing to not make a decision again.

But he does have his siblings. Tsubaki is four months old and Hugh is only thirteen. He’s the oldest, the most powerful, the one with black wings that he can hide everyone behind. He has his family, has decisions he needs to make, and everyone is staring at him, uncertain and looking towards him for guidance. To them, Kuro always has the answers. He always knows what he’s going to do next, but in reality Kuro is eighteen. He’s a paternal figure to his siblings, to Hugh and Jeje and everyone, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing half the time. All he knows is that he  _ must  _ provide for them,  _ must  _ protect them. It may be because of the instincts Creator instilled in him, but -

But he takes care of them. So when Jeje takes an aborted step forward, wings ruffling in fear, Kuro opens his up. His wings are big and are only going to get bigger, so he’s able to hide them all from the horrific sight that was their tormentor. Jeje picks up Lily and sprints towards him, Hyde following, and Freyja and World End stumbling after them. Jeje stops before he runs into him, aware of little Lily, but he let’s Kuro curl his arm around his shoulders and tuck him against his side. Hyde has no such reservations, and slams into him, wrapping his arms around his middle and squeezing tightly. Freyja and World End do the same with his legs, their tears soaking his dress. Kuro folds his wings down again, glossy black feathers hiding their view, and breathes out.

He has his siblings in one place, all uninjured. Their Creator is dead, gone with only his final scream echoing in Kuro’s ears. But it’s  _ over.  _ No more tests, no more having to fight and shout to save his family. No more torture, no more waking up in the middle of the night, terrified that Creator took one of his siblings while he rested. No more anything.

Kuro had said  _ no more,  _ and he’d  _ meant it. _

“Is it over?” Hugh asks, his voice muffled, but it’s easy to hear the tremor in the words.

“It’s over,” Kuro confirms. If he was able to do this three years ago, he would have saved Ophelia too. But he wasn’t strong enough, then, and -

“Everything will be okay now,” he says, and tries not to wonder why he feels like he’s lying.

 

\--

 

Taking care of children is hard. Especially when you don’t have a place to stay, several younger siblings who like to get up into cahoots, and a baby who needs to be fed every two hours using formula you don’t have. Kuro’s taken three jobs, all of them paying, and he still barely has enough money to buy everything Tsubaki and his family needs. He doesn’t have any idea how many times he’s had to skip meals so the rest will have some.

They burn through food quickly, moreso Kuro. He has this insatiable void inside him, and he finds that eating it makes the thirst for violence diminish. But their metabolisms are strong and fast, and Kuro spends most of their money on food. They’ll starve otherwise, and Kuro - Kuro just can't let that happen. Not again.

When they were bad - when Kuro stood up for his siblings, that is - Creator held back food. Not enough that they would starve, not enough that they would start to cry from the hunger, but - enough that the kids would feel uncomfortable, would come to him, arms around their stomach, and say,  _ Nii-san, I’m hungry. _

Here’s the thing. Kuro took out the Creator to save his siblings. He did it so they would be safe and have a better life. What he didn’t know, though, was the fact that he couldn’t really  _ do that _ . He doesn’t have a high school degree or anything - he can only get small jobs that don’t pay enough. At least he  _ has _ money, though. World End eats the most out of all of them, and it’s not even his fault. Creator called him gluttony, messed with him to make him need more food than anyone else. World End always apologizes when he tears up from the pain in his stomach, even though Hugh always tells him it isn’t his fault.

Kuro sighs, running a hand through his hair. It’s almost time for his job at the fast food place, and he needs to go take a shower, but Lily is asleep on him.

HIs hair is getting bit long, Kuro muses. They may need to cut its soon.

With seven younger siblings - most of them below ten - to take care of, living in the streets wasn’t really an option. So Kuro...improvised. There was a building by the corner, one with boarded up windows but running water, and he’d taken it for his own, run out the gangs that liked to hang out there. Tsubaki is one year old and a terror since he learned how to walk - he doesn’t need those kinds of people around him to encourage his mischief any more than Hyde does.

People whisper about Kuro. They say that he’s useless, that he’s a NEET. If Kuro had his way, he would be that. But he’s not. He’s the oldest of eight kids, and when those same people see him holding Tsubaki and Lily’s hand, keeping an eye on Freyja and World End, with Hugh and Jeje watching Hyde, they call him irresponsible. Say that he should know better.

They don’t see him working himself into the ground just to provide for his family.

“Lily,” Kuro says, jostling his brother. “Lily, I have to get up for work.”

Lily mumbles something, rubbing his face in his shirt. Kuro sighs. “Lily, if you don’t get up, I won’t let you go to the park to meet Misono.”

Lily shoots up, hair disheveled and eyes wide. “Kuro!” he yelps, scrambling off him. “Don’t say that!”

Kuro rolls his eyes. Lily met Misono and Mikuni a few weeks ago at the park, and Lily instantly hit it off with Misono. Mikuni took a shining to Jeje, living to mess with him to the point where Kuro’s calm brother is in a frothing rage. Normally, Kuro would put an end to that, but Jeje likes Mikuni and Mikuni likes him back, so he leaves well enough alone.

“Then get off when I say get off,” he responds crankily. Lily sticks his tongue out, running off to complain to Hugh. Kuro tsks, sighing under his breath as he sits up.

Hyde had found a few mattresses - he roped Jeje into stealing them - and took them home after they found the place, and Kuro had never protested it, although he did give them both a stern talking to. This place is run down, but oddly enough it’s home for them.

“Time for work,” he mutters, and pulls out the shirt.

 

\--

 

A year later, Kuro goes out to get food and comes home to find his family in a tizzy, a man holding a broom with fire in his eyes, and a green haired toddler. He sighs, prepares himself for the ridiculousness they’ve gotten tangled up into now, and steps into the light like the man demands of him.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always loved and brighten up my day and are saved in my Gmail.
> 
> Also! Here's my [Tumblr.](http://nikescaret.tumblr.com) Come visit and chat with me if you want!


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